The Foolish Clown
by Ashia21
Summary: Two hearts that have never met, walk the same path, and suffer through their ordeal. Destiny's Clown and Fate's Fool are more alike than you think.


**Do people actually read these…? Sorry, but I just wonder. Anyway! Sorry for the almost dead account, college started and I'mm graspinbg my straws here, Fine Arts is harder than you thinkj, but it's really fun and I enjoy sharing drawing tips with my block-mates. I'm working on my YuGiOh! Gx and YuGiOh! 5D's story, so the next chapter of my other fanfics are dead for a while (yeah, I have the power to revive, fear me! Mwahahahaha!...ha)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything thing here except my words, so no suing me. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>The Foolish Clown<strong>

**_Little Clown, Little Clown_**

**_Why do you frown?_**

"**_Little boy, Little boy,"_**

"**_It's because I feel down,"_**

**_Little Fool, Little Fool,_**

**_Why is life so cruel?_**

"**_Little child, Little child,"_**

"**_It's because I'm Fate's tool,"_**

* * *

><p><strong>A fate that would only give pity, a destiny that is more of a tragedy. Why is it that those who will do great things must suffer so much? They did not wish to be born with their destiny, they did not wish for a life of glory in exchange for a lifetime of sadness. Was it not fate that led them to their tragic path? Was it not destiny that destroyed their future in order to mold it to its own liking, regardless on whether or not they wish for this burden? <strong>

**Why is it that these gifts were given to them, who did not wish for this power? And of all the people who also did not wish to live this life, why them?**

**Such as these two children, One destined to fix all that was broken in the past despite not wishing to live this life before, and One destined to die for millions of people who seek death when he himself once yearned for the same thing as them.**

* * *

><p>There was once a child of red, whose name had been Red. He was born with a destiny he did not remember choosing. On his arm was a holy cross that gave him nothing but misfortune, living by himself, for himself, with no one to rely on, a child born sprouting in the rubble of hopeless reality.<p>

_There was once a child of blue, whose name had been Minato. He was born seemingly ordinary with a destiny he did not remember choosing. In his eyes was a wisdom that surpassed those of his age and caused him nothing but loneliness, growing by himself, for himself, without relying on anyone, a child trapped in a dream, a dream of a seemingly normal life and a seemingly normal future._

This child had a light, a single light that drove away the darkness surrounding him just a bit. A light that would sing and dance with him like the foolish clown he was, this light helped him grow and learn and stand up tall as they walked on their endless journey, a journey that the child once named Red, now named Allen, treasured as his happiest moments.

_This child had two lights, two dull and blinking lights that Minato treasured deeply. Through they were dull, and could never seem to understand his true feelings and emotions, they were the only lights he could rely on and would rely on. It was alright for him that these lights do not shine as bright as others, because for him, these lights were his entire world._

**Yet in a flash, these lights disappeared**

The boy called Allen could only weep as his foster father, the one that he chose to follow and care for, lay dying on the cold hard pavement as the blood started to seep out of his injury, a carriage accident, a carriage accident was all it took to snuff out his one and only pillar of support. His foster father, Mana Walker, told him to keep on walking, to keep on moving forward no matter how cracked the road of life was, to keep walking until he could walk no more.

Yet it was too hard for the child to understand

_When the boy opened his eyes after he was sent flying out of the car after it toppled over, he can only think "What happened?" but even this thought was halted at the sight of his beloved parents, his two dull yet everlasting lights, crushed under what remained of the car. It happened too fast, first the sky turned green; then the car started screeching; then..._

_Minato could only stare at his parents' motionless bodies blankly in morbid curiosity, as if the current situation had not occurred to him yet and he thinks it's all just a bad dream or a cruel yet elaborate prank by the one called god, but it did, and it frightened Minato that even though he knew what was going on, he wasn't making a move to see if they were really dead._

_Why isn't he crying?_

_Why isn't he scared?_

_Why isn't he helping them?_

_Why isn't he doing anything?_

_Why…is it that both of them had died…but not him?_

**And so they fell into darkness**

Days had passed, and Allen could only sit on top of the lonely hilltop alongside the crumbling piece of rock that was meant to be Mana's gravestone. Was this really happening? Was he really all alone in the darkness again? The days that passed after his light's sudden death feel like a dream, a suffocating dream that feels like it could kill him at any second. He was used to this feeling, a feeling of hopelessness and pain that haunted his dreams for many years, trying to sink him deeper into a void of sorrow and agony.

But this time, there wasn't anyone that can drive it away

Then he appeared

The man that would forever change his life, whether he wanted change or not.

The man that stated that he could return his dearly departed foster father back to the land of the living

The man that stated that all he needed to do was scream out his name, and everything would go back to normal for the two of them

Oh how he wanted to believe him

And of course, he did.

**And so he sealed his Fate**

_As Minato stood motionlessly in front of the dead bodies of his parents, two figures appeared from the other side of the bridge. From afar it looked like they were fighting, why were they fighting? The boy's morbid confusion caused him to momentarily forget the horrible truth that happened just seconds ago in his very eyes as he walked ever so closer, carefully sidestepping the rubble that came with the crash. As he got closer, he saw something he wasn't sure was a dream or not._

_One of the fighters was a white woman with short blonde hair and unnaturally blue eyes, she was wearing a white suit that made her look almost…robotic. On the other hand the one she was fighting was far more bizarre looking than the white maiden. It was pure black and wore a coat and mask; it seemed almost deadly just to look at him, as if his very soul was being pulled out of his tiny body at the mere sight of this man._

_A man that radiated death_

_Alas, he should have not gotten closer to this battle between an angel and a devil, but it was too late,_

_The moment the woman in white caught sight of the poor boy and decided to use him as a last resort; it was too late to turn back_

**And so his Fate was sealed**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Pain<em>**

**_Sadness_**

**_Hopelessness_**

**_Could you tell me the answer, as to why children such as them must suffer while the millions of people unaware of their existence continue to live on in leisure?_**

**_These are the children forced upon by Fate to carry such a large burden on their tiny shoulders at such a young age_**

**_Their lives were never the same again_**

Many, many days had passed since he had allowed the Earl to fool him. A man named Cross took him in to teach him how to fight the weapons known as 'Akuma', beings of sorrow and pain that to were fooled by the Earl and are currently suffering just like he would have.

He felt it was his obligation, as a survivor, to put these weeping souls to rest.

Still, the more he heard them, the more he saw their shriveled bodies writhing in pain, the more he grew to hate it, to hate how the Earl for doing something like this to humanity, to hate how foolish everyone was to believe that the dead could ever be revived.

To hate the fact that the only reason he didn't become like them was because of this bastard arm

He should be happy he survived, he should be happy that this arm that had caused him nothing but misfortune was actually a gift sent by God so that he could live, he should be happy that it was the reason why he had survived to this day, he should be happy, but he's not.

Why should he be happy if the first time this arm was any use was when he had to slay his own foster father?

But he couldn't hate the reason for why he was alive, it was illogical, it was blasphemous, it was a useless thought that would only tamper with his training and mission.

**So he closed of his heart**

_He remembers waking up in the hospital_

_He remembers a woman in white smiling at him and asking if he felt any pain, in which he didn't answer. A man in white then arrived and looked at him with pitying eyes, he remembers two people trying to go through the door. One was an elderly man with a refined look and perceptive eyes, while another was a much younger woman with kind and protective eyes. They were arguing about something he couldn't comprehend, and chose not to in the end, he felt too numb to care._

_He remembers the woman coming to him and telling him that she was his mother's sister and that he would be staying with her family now. He remembers the elderly man looking defeated as he left the room as the woman watched him with a guilty, but vengeful look. _

_He remembers all off this, but for the good of himself, he couldn't remember how he got there in the first place. All he could remember was an intense fear and sadness, as if something important had been taken away from him._

_It was a horrible feeling._

**For he had lost his heart**

Now Allen wouldn't blink away at the sight of the writhing soul in his quest to save them, for he no longer felt the ache that came with seeing them at that state, but what he didn't realize that because of his self-given mission, he had discarded everything else. He would smile a fake smile, laugh a fake laugh, but when it all came down to it, he would abandoned whatever he was doing at the sight of an Akuma and proceed to exorcise it. He continued to walk, as his foster father said, but down a lonely road that would never end, all for a bunch of weapons that will merely grow as long as there are people in this world.

The child became more of a machine than a man

_Minato didn't stay in the woman's house for long, the woman's husband felt uncomfortable knowing that someone who wasn't his child was practically freeloading in his house, but he never showed it outside. He did however, forced the child to another family member as he and his family went on vacation, the child never saw them again. He only found out three months after he was given to another relative that the family he originally stayed with died in a boating accident on their way home. That was the start of it all._

_He would never stay in one house for more than four months before they push him to another family. He never held many belongings because of this, and as he got older, he was given money to buy his own food. He was never a loud person or a talkative person either; he never had time to make friends before moving either. He had no purpose in life aside from existing, and even that seemed dull in his restrictive childhood._

_The child became more dead than alive_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Funny how the beings they had met had caused their fragile hearts to warp in darkness.<em>**

**_The boy with a hair of white met a man who made weapons, and the boy grew up as a weapon_**

**_The boy with grey eyes met a man who embodied death, and the boy grew up as cold as death itself_**

**_Unfortunate little children, who would you be if you had not met those men?_**

**_Who would you be if your lights had not faded from your eyes?_**

**_Alas, their pain did not end here_**

**_For soon they will experience it._**

Allen could only blink during his first days in the Order; it was not what he was expecting. He had expected something more…cold and serious. He was not expecting a huge party to celebrate him joining the Order.

He smiled as he watched the supposed members of the Black Order play around and laugh, he knew those laughs and smiles were strained, but not because of fakeness, more so because of fatigue. This confused Allen, shouldn't they save every bit of energy they can save and not waste it goofing off?

Honestly, such strong personalities they have...

Allen could only tilt his head to the side as he stared at his supposed comrades unblinkingly, he had met many people through his travels with his master; some had weak personalities while others had personalities as strong as these guys. But many of them ended up with the same fate he was supposed to have, turning into an Akuma by the work of the Earl, They are most likely going to be the same.

But what should he do about that? What should he do if one of these strong personalities were to fall into depravity and stray from their path, and into the Earl's arms? Allen pondered this predicament, they were his comrades, so he should work with them and trust them, but what should he do when he can no longer trust them into making the best decision?

Well, didn't really have to think hard on that

If one of them were to become an Akuma, all he had to do was

Kill them

_For some reason the moon felt familiar to him_

_He didn't really think much about it, it was the middle of the night and he was tired from his trip, he felt it was too bothersome to wonder why his surroundings consisted of rows upon rows of coffins and blood under the eerily green sky, maybe the lack of sleep is causing him to hallucinate._

_Or maybe the thought that he was in the same city they were traveling to so long ago caused him to see things._

_Either way, he merely took this all into stride_

_Even when he finally arrived to the dorms and met a mysterious boy he suddenly felt like he knew and a brown haired girl that was clearly holding a gun and was about to shoot him, he didn't react to any of it._

_After all, what's the use with these emotions? All of them will just disappear _

_When he dies_

When they fall, he should kill them…right?

With every day that passed, the white haired boy's resolve grew fuzzier and fuzzier

It had started out without him noticing, he laughed a little louder, smiled a little larger, and even talked a little more openly towards his comrades. Then came emotions he had long since forgotten in his quest to put all Akuma to rest, emotions of worry for another person, of relief to see someone alive, of admiration when someone as weak as any other human, takes a stand and faces their ordeal head on and succeeding.

He couldn't remember when it happened or how, but the more he talked to people, the more they would smile at him and say "Welcome back home!" when he finishes a mission, the more they would goof off while being serious at the same time, he would feel this unusual warmth in his chest, one that felt like it wasn't in there for years.

He began to like this warm feeling

_Why does the full moon of the dark hour seem so familiar?_

_He sighed as he put the evoker in the holster, not before double checking whether or not it was in top shape, it might just be some special toy to them, but this thing had saved his life countless times, so much so that he grew sentimental over it. _

_It also feels rather refreshing to kill yourself_

_It's ironic really, for the first time since his parent's deaths, he felt truly alive when pointing a gun at his head and firing. Whenever he would summon a persona, he would feel the world slide from him as he went deeper into the sea of his soul. It felt to him like…he was revisiting memories and emotions that he hadn't felt for a long time, Memories and emotions that reminded him how it felt to live._

_Just like his bonds_

_Funny, had bonds always felt so warm? Before, there was no one he knew that he could really talk to, the children his age would call him creepy for some reason, while the adults seemed uncomfortable with his presence. He could honestly say that he is way behind in social interaction because of this. Now, he doesn't know how, he finds himself being, even a little, more open to others._

_And in turn, they open up to him to_

_And then suddenly, the world didn't look so black and white to him anymore_

He remembered the reason why he threw away that warm feeling in the first place

It's because it felt so painful

These emotions he felt would make is heart wrench in sadness and pain every time he saw a friend get hurt, cry, or even die. It would force him to repeat the scene over and over again in his head as if his body was giving him a sick and twisted reminder of how powerless he was to prevent it. It was painful because it reminded him that he couldn't do anything to stop it, he only knew how to fight and survive.

But he won't let it go

It had become too precious to him; his friends were too precious to him.

He wanted to protect them, even if it cost his arm, Innocence, and life. He didn't want them to die and fade away just like that.

Just like that

So when Suman became a fallen, Allen didn't know what to do anymore.

He didn't want Suman to die, although he only met him once, he was a nice and loyal young man that had become a good friend of his. But at the same time, he had fallen from the path of god and shook hands with the devil himself, he leaked out valuable information concerning the dark order and caused many innocent lives to be taken, many innocent lives that would never be able to return to their homeland again, many innocent lives that would never be able to see the break of dawn and say "I want to live on,"

Suman was family, but Suman had also killed family

What should he do?

What path should he take to keep on walking?

Wouldn't any path do?

No…because now there were things for him to lose…

Isn't that right…Mana…?

His resolve hardened as he jumped back to where Suman was, pushing his arm to the limits as he done so, he didn't care whether it was already flaking from overuse or that he was slowly loosing feeling in his arm, all he thought about was saving this man, this man that had fallen, this man that had sold his life to the devil in order to live, when destiny had already sold his life to die alone.

Oh God, if you really are up there, please, let me make it…

When he had reached the trapped Suman, he gave him his arm and said "Please let me save you,"

I don't want to kill them

And, by a miracle, Suman bit into his arm and cried in hope "I want to live,"

I want to save them

Please…let me save them…

I don't want to lose them

_Shinjiro-senpai is dead_

_Minato never really got to know him, he was just a respectable sempai who also bore the potential called 'Persona' to him before, which only changed slightly to include fellow chef, so it shouldn't have hurt him much to see him there on the cold hard pavement, giving a smile despite the pools of blood slowly forming around him as the others cried in shock and sadness. _

_Yet why does it hurt?_

_Death is unavoidable; he would have been a retard if he didn't understand the fact that this 'extra curricular activity' could actually lead him to his death, he had chose to join them anyhow. For some reason, he was never really bothered by the thought of dying, even when everyone around him would shrivel in fear and sadness and say "I don't want to die," "I don't want to die,"_

_Why not?_

_Why do you not want to die?_

_Because it's scary? Because you don't know what's on the other side?_

_Isn't life the same thing?_

_Minato had been perplexed _

_Yet_

_Why did it have to take the death of a friend for him to realize the answer?_

_The reason why those people didn't want to die was because they had not lived yet. They are still searching, through the mundane things they do everyday, their reason to live, and their reason to die. They who found neither of them would feel like life was unfair and incomplete, leading them to fear death._

_Yet Shinjiro-senpai found his reason, and he was smiling_

_Was that why…he could die with a smile…?_

_A pang of guilt shot through his empty heart_

_I should have talked to him more; I could have discussed cooking tips with him; I could have invited him to watch an action movie with Akihiko-senpai and Junpei-kun; I could have joined him whenever he would walk Koromaru, I could have treated him to ramen and even show him the secret menu. I could have done so much, but I didn't, and now I'll never be able to do so._

_Because the dead can never return_

_Suddenly the thought of another dying seemed frightening_

I'm Alive

I'm Alive…and Suman's dead

Why?

I gave it my all, I sacrificed my all. I prayed to the Lord for a chance, just one chance to change things for the better, yet was this all my efforts were worth for?

I had given everything just to save that one man, yet was this all my abilities can do? If I cannot even save one man from the darkness, what use is all this? How can I protect my friends like this? How can I prevent the darkness from taking them if I can't even fight anymore?

Now, I'm nothing but a normal teen who doesn't even have a left arm

What do I do?

I have fallen so deep now…do I have it in me to get back up and continue walking?

Do you think I can still walk forward…Mana?

You told me to keep on walking, to keep on moving forward no matter how cracked the road of life was, to keep walking until I could walk no more. If you saw me now, would you still think I should walk forward like always?

Do you think…I should stop walking now?

…But

I don't want to stop walking

I had met so many people while following your word. So many people that would make me laugh and cry and wake up everyday with a smile on my face knowing there were people who cared for me again, and that I cared for them in return.

I don't want…to abandon them

I want to keep walking

I want to keep fighting

For them…for my lights

_Akinari-san died_

_His weak body couldn't fight the sickness anymore and gave way._

_I used to sit together with him and talk about his story and the reason why people wanted to live so badly. He had a very clinical outlook on life and death, not understanding the reason why people would fear death so much because he himself didn't understand why people wanted to live despite the pain. _

_I understood that feeling to some extent_

_Despite living together with so many people, no one truly cared for me; some would ignore me, while others would make harsh comments concerning my lack of parents and dead personality. I didn't hate them for that, because in the end they were right. _

_But that didn't stop it from hurting_

_There were honestly a few times in my life when I just wanted to end my life. What use was living like this anyway? For the past ten years, I felt like a corpse, I was the unfamiliar person in another's sanctuary, a lecher so to say. I was more of a temporary piece of furniture to them, I who had no jurisdiction over anything there aside from my personal belongings, had to follow the shadows of everyone else. But in the end, I didn't kill myself, because I knew…_

_Life is more than this._

_And it was_

_If I had put my head through that noose, I would have never met Yukari-chan, Junpei-kun, Fuuka-chan, Aigis-chan, Mitsuru-sempai, Akihiko-sempai, Shinjiro-sempai, Ken-kun, and Koromaru-kun. If I hadn't thought things through instead of drown in self-pity, I would have never spent so many wonderful days with my friends. If I had never broken out of my own dream, I would have never met so many wonderful people that I could honestly say I care for…_

_I guess that's why I stuck with Akinari-san till the end; I knew what it was like going through ordeals alone; so I wanted to be there for him. I wanted to help him along the way, to be the one to give him that little push, to be the one that stuck with him, to be someone he can be friends with. It was nice to talk to someone who understood you to some extent, and asks the same questions you did._

_Yet he still died_

_He only came back one last time…to give me his notebook and thank me._

_In his notebook was the story of the pink alligator__and the bird that he would write with me. It was the story of two friends that were living happily, until one day, the alligator accidentally ate his friend the bird. It ended with the alligator crying pools of tears until he drowned, his tears forming a beautiful lake that many animals found happiness in, not knowing of the story of its origins. _

_It was a story that resonated with his heart and mine as well_

_On the very back of the notebook was a little sticky note that said:_

"_I found my meaning to life, now it's time you find yours,"_

_And, for the first time in many years, I cried_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Do not forget, do not falter<strong>_

_**They, who had found a part of themselves that was lost in darkness, were so blinded by the light that they had lost sight of it.**_

_**It's not bad to forget, but to ignore is a different matter altogether **_

I still feel it, someone is calling me

Almost every night while I'm in bed, my eye would go berserk and give me immeasurable pain. I would hear wails coming from nowhere, smashing into my eardrums repeatedly, haunting me. These wails felt familiar to me, but I don't know where…

Well it doesn't matter at the moment

What matters is me going back to my comrades

_A transfer student named Ryoji came to school today_

_He seems like a fun-loving guy that seems like your average flirt, through Aigis-chan repeatedly calls him dangerous for some reason. He came up to me one time and commented how my eyes reminded him of the full moon…_

_What a strange guy…_

For some reason my Innocence wouldn't come back to me and synchronize, despite the fact that it was obvious that the two of us wanted to fight Akuma again. Yet no matter how I will for it to happen, my Innocence would only respond slightly.

Why am I not able to summon my Innocence? Is there something wrong with my resolve?

But my resolve is clear to me

I want to protect my friends

_Ryoji-kun is rather fun to hang around with, when he's not being an annoying kid at least. Everyone in SEES, aside from Aigis-chan, has taken a liking to him. Through, Akihiko-senpai commented once that he felt like Ryoji-kun was clingier towards me than anyone else._

_I then heard Junpei-kun confront Ryoji-kun about what Akihiko-senpai said, Ryoji-kun was just as surprised as I was from that observation. He said that he didn't notice that he acts differently towards me, he just felt happier when I'm with him, like I was his best friend or something…_

_Huh…have we met before?_

A Level 3 Akuma appeared out of nowhere, with no exorcists and my Innocence failing to respond to my commands, we were running around like insects. Or at least, they are, since that Akuma caused my atomic structure to deteriorate to the point that I could crumble at any time, so I had to be carried like the injured Fo, away from the Akuma that came only because of me.

I had never felt so useless before

We barricaded ourselves using Bak's power over the tunnels but we knew that it wouldn't do anything against a Level 3 Akuma.

So…Fo…sacrificed herself by copying my image and becoming a decoy

Even though… even though we knew she would die by the Akuma's hands

_Aigis-chan is missing_

_She wasn't with us at the dorms and was acting rather odd lately. She was a friend, and for me to not notice this change gives me a rather unpleasant feeling in my chest, like something was going to change so much that it would be beyond anyone's power to go back to the way things were_

_I remember…having this feeling…many years ago_

_But when…?_

Useless…I feel so useless

Here I am being useless while Fo sentences herself to death. I want to fight; I want to take her place. Even through I know the reasons why we had to do this and that no one wanted to do this, I want to fight.

That Akuma…it's calling me, it was the voice that screamed help, it was asking for my help. It wanted me to fight him, it wanted me to kill him.

Not Fo

I screamed at Bak to let me out and fight, but he still refuses, even if he is one most affected by Fo's sacrifice. I should fight, he knows that; I have a slightly better chance of beating him, he knows that; I'm the only one who has a chance of saving Fo, he knows that!

So he should let me out

Because I'm nothing but a weapon destined to destroy those creatures

And he knows that.

_Where did all this come from?_

_Ten years ago? Death? Shadow Experiments? Why is this happening?_

_Why did this happen? _

_We found Aigis beat up and in shambles, barely able to stand in front of her enemy. It was the one that she was ordered to destroy along with her sisters after it got out of the city and wrecked havoc. It was the one that destroyed the rest of her sisters and battled her under the eerie green moon. It was the one that she unhesitatingly sealed within an innocent child that was the only survivor of an unfortunate accident, an innocent child that was me._

_Standing solemnly in front of Aigis was Ryoji-kun_

_From them we found out about the accident ten years ago, how Aigis sealed Death within me, how I grew up having something that wasn't supposed to be there in the first place, how, in a few weeks, Armageddon will rain upon us in the form of Nyx, and that there was nothing we can do to prevent it. How I was actually being stringed by fate to come back to the island and start this whole thing._

_How I was stringed by fate to bring the world to its early destruction_

Bak let me through

I thanked him before leaving the care of my friends to save another. I wasted no time to intercept the Akuma's attack before it destroyed the already mangled up Fo.

I remember…who I was now

I was just a holy tool designed to free these forsaken children of god

How could I forget that?

_So everything I did…was fated from the beginning?_

_Are you telling me even when I wanted to, I was never free to begin with? That any form of future I had was destroyed on that day ten years ago? Or was my fate sealed even before then? The car accident, the boating accident, the switching of families, the desire I once had to kill myself, even my decision to accept the scholarship and go to Port Island, was that all predetermined?_

_That everyone else's selfish desire put me in this position?_

…_Igor once told me that I was like the number zero; I am nothing, so I can be anything…_

…_But…can someone else not choose what this zero will morph into as well?_

_I'm so confused_

My body structure is more fragile than I thought it was, although it didn't seem like it, I was barely making a dent on the level three Akuma when cracks suddenly appeared on my form before I could jump. I had fallen onto a body of water - how it got there was anyone's guess – The Akuma was about to go to me when he noticed Bak and Fo on the side.

And then…he….

My mind went blank

They can't survive another blow from him, they don't have the protection of the Innocence with them

I have to save them!

I have to save my friends!

At that moment, I felt warmth I hadn't felt for so long coming from my left arm

…Ah, that was what you were waiting for, huh?

I remember. My true purpose was to free the Akuma. It was a lonely road, but I was dedicated to reach the end. But it didn't stop those blinding lights from diverting my attention to other things.

Friends

I had forgotten my goal in life because of them, but I don't hate them for that, because they showed me how to live again, they showed me the reason why I decided to help the Akuma in the first place, why I continued to keep walking in the first place…

Both of them are too precious to ignore

So…

Will you lend me your strength again, Innocence?

To save the Akuma, and to protect the humans…?

I felt the Innocence churning around me, as if it was embracing me after so long. It was so warm.

_So what?_

_So what if Fate had a hand in my life? So what if it was the reason I lost my parents, my life, and my childhood?_

_Fate gave me bonds_

_Would I have met my friends if I had never gone to Port Island? Would I have eaten ramen, hamburger, and sweets with my companions if I had died with my parents? I am a puppet, yes, but even this puppet feels the warmth of the bonds I formed. _

_It doesn't matter what life I could have had before. What matters is the life I am living in today._

_And the lives I would die for_

_I would be lying if I said I wasn't frightened at all. This year felt like it was the wind, fast and impossible to grasp, but it was still there, and I felt every push it made. I had just barely got a grasp on my will to live, and the thought that we wanted to defeat something that cannot be defeated sent shivers down my spine._

_But if we don't do it, what would happen to our friends? _

_They would die; they would die because of something completely unrelated to them. They would die before they could see the world, before they could find someone special to them, before they can face their pasts, before they can look forward to the future._

_They would die before they had really lived_

_So when Ryoji-kun asked me (pleaded me) to kill him so that we can at least die peacefully, I merely stared at him, unconvinced. Even when he told us that defeating Nyx is impossible and the fall was determined to happen, even when he tried to fluctuate the sadness I had deep inside of me that came from him being the reason why I had a horrible life, I merely hit his head lightly with the handle of my Evoker, refusing his request even when he was close to tears (He really didn't want us to suffer, did he? Idiot)_

_We are humans, what is impossible just wasn't done yet to us_

_**A resolution, it is the brightest moment of their lives**_

This power, it's so familiar, so much so that I want to cry.

When I lost the Innocence, I felt darkness surround me, even when I ignored the emptiness and focused on other things, I felt incomplete, like the other half of my being was sucked away by a black void and will never come back.

But…now, I feel it

Is this…what salvation feels like? This was the feeling of having God embrace you? The feeling you get when you have finally been laid to rest after so long?

It's such…a wonderful feeling

Maybe this is the reason why the souls trapped in the Akuma body would scream in agony? Compared to this warm embrace, the Devil's clutches seems horrifying. It's horrible now that I think of it, that the people who were turned to Akuma were forsaken from this welcoming embrace.

I stood and easly defeated the Level 3 Akuma, all the while apologizing to it in my mind

I'm sorry, Mr. Akuma, for making you wait for so long.

It was hard, wasn't it, Living like that? Living in eternal pain, not knowing how to end it, or who would end it for you.

Don't worry, it will all be over soon

…See? There's that light you were looking for. The end of the tunnel is here, you don't have to cry anymore. He's right there, waiting with open arms to greet you and comfort you. You don't need to be afraid, I'll be here, leading you every step of the way…

In the final moments of the man who sinned, before he reached God's arms, he thanked me.

…Let me give you your salvation.

_This is…death?_

_An orb of white light…it's like the full moon. It's…so beautiful._

_Ah…but the moon should stay in the sky, where it can shine through the dark. Its place is not on the dirty ground. It doesn't want to be down there either._

_I won't let it touch the ground_

_My resolve hardening, I braced myself to endure the diety's first attack._

'_Death'_

_Funny…how I wanted that for so long, but now…_

"_There's nothing we can do?!"_

…_ken-kun…?_

"_Don't give up! We have to believe in him!"_

…_Akihiko…senpai…_

"_Give him strength! Take my life if you must!"_

…_Mitsuru-senpai…why…why can i…_

…_why can I hear you…?_

_Aren't i…dead?_

_I felt something warm trickle inside me…my…my bonds are pulsating. It gave me enough strength to stand up sluggishly, at this rate; I won't be able to stand the next attack._

_I felt death rush pass me…huh? Did it just…miss? I looked up at the shadowy moon with tired eyes._

_Did it just…miss on purpose…?_

"_Yeah! I'm willing to risk mine too!"_

_Yukari-chan…_

"_He's going to face it all by himself!"_

"_No, he's not alone! I won't let him die!"_

_Fuuka-chan…Junpei-kun…_

_The warmth inside grew stronger, I could almost hear the voices of my persona, telling me that they are right here by my side, that I'm not alone._

_The deity attacked again, this time, I felt a familiar aura surround me and blocked the attack from Nyx herself. _

…_Pharos-kun…? Is that you?_

_I heard an encouraging bark, a bank from the most loyal dog I have ever met_

_Koromaru-kun…_

"_I won't allow this world to be destroyed!"_

_Neither do i…Aigis-chan, I won't let it destroy it._

_I readied myself as a familiar voice echoed in my mind _

"_All right…let's do this,"_

_I'll protect everyone…Shinjiro-senpai…_

_The warmth inside me burned now, but I can only smile at the power my friends have given me. I will not let you down._

_I stood, in front of Death itself, as I raised a single finger. All at once, the world became silent to me, I could no longer feel the wamth of the bonds._

_But's it's okay, I'm okay with this, if it means that they will live. If it means that the world will keep turning._

_I know what will happen, but I don't care, I just want to make sure their safe. They've done so much for me, cared for me, accepted me, liked being with me…_

_How can anyone thing think of asking for more?_

_I don't care if I will never meet my salvation. If it is for them, I will gladly take the cross, and pray that this world will continue striving to find it's answer._

_Because…I have found mine_

_So…everyone…_

_Thank you._

* * *

><p><em><strong>The clown will keep on walking<strong>_

_**As the fool will stand firm**_

_**These children bless their souls, for they deserve it.**_

_**Can you see why they are tragic? They will never say so themselves**_

_**Because they love their lives too much**_

…_**But…there is nothing wrong with that…**_

_**Not all life is pleasant, but no one ever sees what is truly good**_

_**Congratulations…for walking this path**_

_**Congratulations…for living this life**_

_**The End**_

* * *

><p>…<strong>And it's Done!<br>**

**I'm pretty sure I went overboard on the single sentences, but I couldn't change it. Sorry if it annoyed you.**

**Was anyone confused by the sudden change of perspective? Even though i' telling the story, there is a specific timeline that they were in, all we did was catch up to them. So after we caught up to them, it went to their point of view.**

**Are you wondering how I thought of this plot? It started with this idea of Minato dreaming of Allen's life, then vice versa, but then I realized…their back stories are similar to some extent, yet so different.**

**Both had someone they held dear die in front of them, both of them had an encounter with a being that could ruin their lives, both grew up with a destiny they didn't choose, both eventually met people who accepted them, both fought to protect those they cared for, both sacrificed something to same another. **

**But Allen lost his arm, Minato lost his life. Allen lived to keep on walking; Minato was barely hanging on until the last day. Allen is usually the first to move, the first to cause things to collapse on him, and Minato just naturally caused things to collapse on him.**

**I'm pretty sure many main protagonists have the same back story to some extent, but I loved these two the most (Minato more, as you can see)**

**Thios is actually something like a prequel of my story Come Forth! Innocence! But it's more of a side story really.**

**Read and Review please!**


End file.
